


Homecoming

by Quine



Series: The fifth brother [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Chuck Shurley is God, Daddy Issues, Eventual Happy Ending, Fix-It, M/M, Protective Older Brothers, Season/Series 05
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-10-26
Packaged: 2019-08-07 23:38:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16418231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quine/pseuds/Quine
Summary: (Sequel to Lost Brother)While Lucifer slowly regains his powers, he thinks about humans. "Are they really that bad? Probably yes." But he isn't the only one to question his motives.Gabriel doesn't know if he can trust Lucifer and decides that they need a plan B, if something goes wrong.At the same time, Team Free Will starts hunting again and Sam has to face some Demons of his past.Although Dean knows that Cas loves him and vice-versa, this doesn't mean that all of his problems are suddenly gone, especially when a wannabe warlock wants Sam's body.Apart from that, Azrael just tries to negotiate between the Archangels, but what happens, when someone shows up, nobody is really happy to see?PAUSED RIGHT NOW





	Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural and I don't make any profits by writing this.
> 
> So, you probably wont get this fic, if you didn't read the prequel but there is a short summary of the Prequel at the end of the first chapter. (Even for the ones who read it, since I haven't been posting for some time, so your brain can keep up with the storyline) 
> 
> Also you may notice that Azrael, my OC is slightly more fucked up, cause he is the Angel of Death, so he is allowed to have some bloody fun. I edited the Prequel, (he is crazier now) so if you read it before the editing part you could be slightly confused.
> 
> Additional, as often as I will say that I'll update weekly, I probably wont. I am really trying though, but I know me, so sorry for irregular updates.

The souls in heaven were restless. Even they felt the tension, which lingered in the air. Michael hadn’t shown himself for weeks. The angels acted like a beehive without its queen, almost, like they had acted, when Gabriel disappeared. The carefully restored order was about to collapse any minute.

Raphael was above such things. He knew exactly where Michael was right now, but he couldn’t deny that he was worried. Two days ago, was the last time he had seen his brother. He was the only one to tell him about the news of the garrisons stationed on earth. No other Angel was allowed to approach him. Apart from reporting to Michael, Raphael was fully occupied with keeping the Angels in place and preventing hysteria.

Nevertheless, in between these tasks, he still found the time to worry about Michael. His brother obsessed about this war, about the Apocalypse.  
To everyone else, Michael would still seem like the glorious warrior he was known as, but Raphael knew the difference. Where Raphael was air and lightning, wind and rain, Michael was fire. He burned bright and hot, his wings made of flames.

Raphael had seen many sides of his brother. Before their family broke apart, Michael had burned with pleasant warmth, reassuring and protective; blazing hot, when he held passionate speeches. A word from his tongue sprung over like a spark, setting everyone’s core on fire. It was a rare sight these days but sometimes it still showed. When Michael was angry, he would burn hot, like molten iron; righteous flames would climb up his limbs, ready to cleanse the world from his enemies.

But nowadays Michael was desperate. His core seemed hollow and his grace burned with wildness, panicking and out of control, like he was trying to grasp something, a plan he could follow, a word of guidance.

Michael, despite what everyone may think, didn’t like to be the one in charge. He was a good leader, a commander. But he wasn’t good with making his own decisions. If Michael was given a task, something he could believe in, he would succeed.

Raphael had never doubted Michael’s abilities and he trusted his brother. He followed him because Michael wasn’t afraid to act, if he though, that it was the right thing to do. He had won against Lucifer, because of that reason, as much as it pained him. He had believed in his father and that locking Lucifer away was the right thing to do. Afterwards he had wept, he had mourned for his brother, who he had lost. But he had not hesitated to do, what had to be done. If Raphael would have been in his place, he doubted that he would’ve had the strength to do as he was asked.

It was different now. Michael was locking himself up, pacing and thinking all day. Raphael loved Michael. He had admired him, admired him still. But Raphael saw, what his older brother didn’t. While Michael may not have drawn the conclusion yet, the Archangel knew that Michael didn’t know what to do. He didn’t believe in the righteousness of his task. And if Michael didn’t believe in what he did, why should others believe in him?

Had there not been another option, Raphael would’ve followed Michael blindly into this war. He wouldn’t follow Lucifer. Humans were petty little beings, but they were a creation of God. He wouldn’t betray the oath he had made, when he had bowed before this species.

But there was another option to be considered, somebody who would listen, if he only asked. Raphael would need to make some preparations. Leaving heaven in the state it was right now would be madness. But his decision was made.

 

Azrael’s wings twitched. He stood in Bobby’s library and flipped the page of the book he was reading. His mind processed the words but his attention was directed somewhere else. The Angels in Heaven had been on the edge for days. He listened as his siblings were talking. Everything seemed the same, but he felt it. Something was different. He tasted the change in the air, but Azrael didn’t know what it was.

It was irritating, not to know what would happen. He closed the book he was reading and put it back in its place, next to the other leather-bound tomes. Dust whirled up as he pulled the journal of a long dead hunter out of the shelf and proceeded to scan the content.

Now, that he had reclaimed the grace, which had resided within the Horseman, Azrael seemed to have taken on some long forgotten mannerisms. It was only logical, considering that the piece of grace which had resided within this being was a vital part of his essence.  
Azrael could live with his increased yearning to maintain the balance of life and death, or his newfound sensing of the Reapers, but now there was also the strange need to surround himself with death. Like an itch he couldn’t scratch it tingled beneath his skin, the need to claim souls and collect the ones, who were ready to leave their life behind. It was his purpose to do so. He couldn’t stop wanting to perform his duty, just like Gabriel couldn’t stop judging people, even if he did it in his own weird Trickster way.

He heard the shuffling steps of Bobby in the kitchen. The Hunter probably enjoyed the moment of peace, which had settled over house.  
Lucifer had started to stay outside most of the day and Azrael didn’t know what Gabriel was up to. Mostly he just popped up somewhere around the house, only to fly away half an hour later. Bobby wasn’t fond of the amount of candy wrappers littering the floor after such visits. Or the little dark cloud following him for 12 hours, after he had dared to complain about it, the next time the Trickster showed up.

Just as he turned to the next page, to read about an encounter with a vicious Ghoul, he felt a familiar presence approaching.

Azrael snapped the book shut and turned around. The time in the room had almost come to a halt. Tiny particles of dust hanging in the air unmoving and the noise of Bobby’s walking slowed down until it wasn’t even a background noise anymore.

Occupying one of Gabriel’s ugly armchairs - which were now supplemented with a no less hideous coffee table, thanks to the same angel - sat Death. To be correct, former Death, now that Azrael had regained his powers.

Clad in a black suit, still wearing the face of a thin old man, he just looked at Azrael. In his hands he held a dark walking cane, the handle carved from bone and on the coffee table in front of him was a rusty scythe. Azrael put the journal back in the shelf and then sat down in the chair opposite of the Horseman.  
For a moment they just watched each other, till Azrael snapped up a bag of fast food and pushed it towards the other being. “Your memories were very insightful”, the Archangel said.

“I prefer the Burger joint in Philadelphia nowadays”, the Reaper said, nonetheless he took the offered bag and started to remove the wrapping from a burger with his long fingers, after he had chosen one of his liking.

“Our talk is long overdue…”, Azrael said and the other being hummed in agreement. “Did you know that you held some of my grace? Because for me it was quite a surprise.”

“The same can be said for me. I had to do some research. You have to know, that it is very unusual, that I don’t know something”, the Reaper said.

“Nobody can hide from Death”, Azrael said and the being in front of him nodded.

“You can imagine my surprise, when I found out, that I am not the original candidate to hold this title”, the Reaper said.

“My father’s always had a strange sense of humor”, Azrael muttered. “So, what is your opinion regarding this situation?”

“Well”, the being said. “My ‘creation’, as some would say, was always a mystery to me. I figured I had to be as old as god. I just was… I knew of a time when the Darkness and god lived in peace. When there weren’t any of the Archangels around. I knew that I was Death.  
In the binding circle, we were one for a brief moment. After our separation, something had left.” A few tendrils of Azrael’s grace reached out to the being which had been its host for this long time. The angel felt a certain fondness for this old creature, as it continued talking. “I was confused after that. I still possessed those memories, but I didn’t view them as mine anymore. The part, which identified with them, was gone. I always knew what I am, but now I am not so sure anymore. I figured it wasn’t wise to make the next decision, at least without talking to you first.”

“The world needs Death, a personification of Death”, Azrael said quietly, not knowing where this knowledge came from. “Life can’t exist without death. The potential of life was always around; it just needed someone to bring it into existence” Azrael suddenly realized what he was talking about. “It’s all about balance. There needed to be death. I think that is the reason that I was made first.” Azrael went silent. ‘His father had taken a part of his grace and merged it with the Reaper. The part that made him Death’ His wings tensed and the sharp ends of his primaries shook, wanting to rip something apart. ‘God had torn his grace apart!’  
Shock, fear and anger at this realization waned. He wouldn’t take it out on the being in front of him. It sat there calmly watching him with folded hands. It wasn’t really a surprise. After all, it wasn’t much younger than him and hadn’t lived a thousand lives as a human, to be as ‘fucked up’ as him. Begrudgingly Azrael had to admit, that his time living as a human had left him the habit of acting like them.

Azrael wasn’t thinking rational. When he had told Raphael, that he wouldn’t meet him or Michael if they didn’t change their minds… it was almost childish. He would do anything for his brothers, but there was also this strange loyalty to humankind. It didn’t mean that he liked humans in general. Not that he would ever admit that to Lucifer. If his brother knew how he felt, there wasn’t much that would keep him from going through with his plan. But he didn’t outright hate them, or look down on them like Michael probably did. It was just wrong to wipe them all out. His good intentions aside, he felt different since he had first met the Horseman.

With the part of grace, which had resided within the grim reaper, along came also some of its inhumanity. He didn’t know if it was because he was Death – neutral in every way - , but Azrael didn’t believe in good and evil anymore. Not like his brothers, even if their idea of good and evil were also somewhat twisted. Being near a demon, you could taste the wrong- an evil aura surrounding them, just as you could feel the purity of an angel. That didn’t mean that Angels couldn’t be cruel, or that Demons couldn’t show mercy. (Even if the latter was very exceptional) But Humans… they believed in the good. Azrael had lived long enough as one of them to understand the way a human mind worked. Apart from a few exceptions, almost every human acted the way, they thought it was right. Of course, this was a reason they fought wars, just to prove whose opinion mattered more. But thanks to the latest developments, Azrael had a brand new view on humanity; …they were entertaining!

The choices people made, just because of their free will… it was such an astonishing quality of them. Risking the life of others just to save another, a decision an ordinary Angel would never take. It was astounding and selfless. Azrael had always had a dark side, he was Death after all. He even held a certain fascination for serial killers. The newfound carelessness about the life of a single human didn’t do much to help Azrael’s state of mind. Not everybody possessed Gabriel’s sense of Justice. Demons were boring and tedious in their behavior, compared to the human complexity. He blinked and came back to reality.

Azrael shook his wings and focused on the Horseman in front of him once more, who had patiently waited for the time of his thinking. “Let’s talk about why you’re really here.” Azrael nodded towards the scythe on the table. “You want to know what I am going to do.”

“You have reclaimed your title as Death. That entails a certain responsibility”, the being said, while it fingered the carvings of its walking cane. Azrael watched the movement attentively.

“You don’t like the thought of me taking over”, he said after a moment.

“No. But the balance needs to remain”, the Reaper said and it gripped the cane with both hands. Azrael reached out to pick the scythe of the table, his eyes never leaving the being in front of him. He let his thumb run over the cutting edge of the blade and it thrummed with power, reacting to his presence. It had shifted its loyalty. Azrael smirked as he reached the pointy end of it.

“It bugs you, doesn’t it? I can feel you like any reaper, which means, that you also feel the urge to obey me.”

“It doesn’t matter”, it said nonchalant, but Azrael could sense a wave of annoyance radiating over to him.

“Well, you are lucky”, the Archangel said and he put the scythe back on the table. The smirk vanished from his face “Because I think, that me taking over is a stupid idea either.”

The being in front of him leaned forward. “I must say, I am curious. Why won’t you take your place as the head of the Reapers?”

“I have too many things to deal with at the moment, and I can’t see the point, in ordering you around.” No physical reaction could be seen on the face of his opponent, but Azrael could feel that it was relieved. “While you might not be _the Death_ anymore, you are still the first Reaper. You are a part of Death. You are the most powerful Horseman. Hell, you’ve managed the job since the beginning of humanity and quite well if I can say so”, Azrael said, leaning back. “Heaven is a mess and Hell is still wreaking havoc. While I am not particularly interested in their problems right now, we can’t afford pulling the Reapers into this.” Azrael said, being relatively surprised by his protectiveness over these creatures. ‘Probably came with the job.’ The horseman hummed in agreement. “You will need this” The Archangel nodded towards the scythe.

“It is only loyal to Death. It has chosen a new master”, the Horseman said.

“It will obey you, if I choose so. I won’t interfere in what you are doing, but I wouldn’t mind being informed if something is going on. You don’t have to, but it would certainly help me, if you have some information regarding my situation here. Also, if I can help you or the Reapers, you can always ask me.”

“Then you might be interested in the fact that your brother is still going after my siblings, to collect their rings”, the Horseman said, as he took the scythe from the table and let it disappear inside his suit.

“Gabriel…”, Azrael muttered frowning.

“Yes”, the Reaper agreed and he stood up. “Well, I think it’s time for me to go.” And the Horseman bid his farewell with the slightest hint of a bow. As soon as the Reaper was gone, time started to flow normal again. The dust in the air floated slowly around the room and Bobby could be heard again, walking around the kitchen, probably to get some beer out of the fridge.

Azrael couldn’t help but smile as he noticed that the bag of fast food had vanished alongside the Horseman.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and Comments are always Welcome! They are my motivation. Constructive Critic is always appreciated, or just a little statement if you liked it or not. 
> 
> -SO SPOILER ALERT FOR THE PREQUEL-  
> (Lost Brother summary)
> 
> There is another Archangel, his name is Azrael and he is the Angel of Death. He was thrown out of Heaven by God, since he refused to fight against the Darkness (God did it cause he thought Azrael was being influenced and used by her - Spoiler alert - he was, but liked her nevertheless and never really got over it. (Now he has some daddy-issues) Azrael lived thousand of lives as a human, till suddenly he regains his memories and grace. After a few hours of confusion, he want's to find out whats going on. All of Heaven talks about the Apocalypse and Michael and Lucifer's fight.  
> He hears about the Winchesters and keeps them in mind, if he can't find any of his brothers (the other Archangels) first.  
> Eventually he decides to find the Winchesters and find out whats going on. He meets Raphael. Followed up by Team-Free-Will. (Dean has some denial issues and is very much in love with Cas) Then there is Gabriel. Az wants to talk to Lucifer and keep him from killing all of humanity, but Azrael is kinda crazy himself.
> 
> Some subplot involving Crowley and Anna. 
> 
> Then there is some bonding time between the Angels, Harvelles and Winchesters and then they are going to Carthage, to keep Lucifer from raising Death (the Horseman) 
> 
> Cas almost dies and Dean kisses him, Sam is still oblivious to what is going on there and Dean manages to stay in denial after that, true to his Winchester heritage.
> 
> They don't succeed and Azrael gets summoned alongside the Horseman. Turns out, the Horseman held some of Azraels grace. Anna shows up and tries to kill Lucifer with the colt and then steals some of his grace. Azrael gets angry and kills her.  
> Lucifer is almost human and they go to Bobby's. Nobody likes Lucifer, besides Azrael, who is very protective, (and Sam doesn't mind him) Cas gets to be badass and Sam and Dean go on a hunt. Sam is a good brother and Dean finally admits his feelings to Cas who also loves him.


End file.
